David Wesley scored a team-record 21 of his season-high 32
points in the first quarter and the Charlotte Hornets shot 60
percent from the field, snapping a three-game losing streak with
a 120-101 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Wesley hit 12-of-17 shots from the field for the Hornets, who
made 48-of-80 shots and recorded their highest point total ever
against the Rockets. Charlotte also sank a season-best 12-of-18
from three-point range. Bobby Phills connected on all three of
his attempts and finished with 13 points.

"I knew coming in that the pick-and-roll would work. I was
getting good shots and I always like playing in front of my
friends and family," said Wesley, a San Antonio native who
played his college ball at Baylor. "Houston caught us on a
night when we really needed to win a game."

Dell Curry hit 6-of-8 three-pointers and scored a season-high 23
points and Anthony Mason had 20, eight rebounds and four steals
for Charlotte, which defeated Houston for the third straight
time. Glen Rice chipped in with 14 points and eight boards.

"We moved the ball well, spread out the court and our shots were
falling," said Curry. "We had open looks and you have to knock
them down and take advantage of teams doubling down low. Our
whole team shot the ball well and that really got our confidence
going."

Kevin Willis and Clyde Drexler each scored 18 points and Charles
Barkley added 14, 12 rebounds and nine assists for Houston,
which had won nine of its last 10 home games. The home loss was
the Rockets worst since a 121-97 defeat at the hands of the
Miami Heat last March 16th.

"It's a very simple evaluation. No defense, no wins," said
Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich. "Instead of us making progress
with defense, we are going backwards. We've got to make up our
minds that that's the most important part of the game. If not,
we're going to have a tough couple of months."

Wesley keyed two first-quarter runs for Charlotte, scoring five
points in a 7-0 burst that gave the Hornets a 15-6 lead at the
6:06 mark. He added seven more in an 11-2 flurry that gave the
Hornets a 31-19 edge with 19.2 seconds left.

The Hornets extended their lead to 36-23 with 78 seconds into
the second period on a three-pointer by Curry, but Houston
fought back and forged a 44-44 tie with 5:26 left when Eddie
Johnson capped off a 10-2 run with a steal and layup.

The Rockets went up 52-48 two minutes later when Matt Bullard
hit one of his four three-pointers in the quarter. The Hornets
closed the half by scoring 10 of the next 12 points, with Curry
and Rice each scoring four points, to take a 58-54 lead at the
break.

The Rockets closed to within 66-64 with 7:22 left in the third
quarter after Matt Maloney drained a three-pointer. Houston got
no closer in the second half as Charlotte responded with a 14-5
run to regain control. Rice opened the spurt with a free throw
and Curry finished it with a three-pointer, giving the Hornets
an 80-69 lead at the 2:48 mark.

The closest Houston got in the fourth quarter was 92-81 with
9:35 remaining after Drexler's three-pointer. Charlotte's
stretched its lead to as many as 23 points down the stretch.

"It was embarrassing out there tonight. I feel bad for the
coaches and the fans," said Charles Barkley. "Charlotte has a
really good team and they are 10 deep. Wesley and Curry are
guys we don't expect to have 20-point games. It's really bad to
lose by 19 at home. There was no 'fight to the finish' attitude
by us and we paid."